Return
by Nickles
Summary: Another what happens when Spike comes back fic. Yet another apocolypse is threatening Sunnydale, and the Scoobies, reunited with old friends will try to stop it. Also, A startling new prophecy shakes the lives of the scoobies.
1. Guess Who's Back!

Title: Return  
Author: Niki   
Rating: PG13  
Summary: Another What happens when Spike comes back fic. Yet Another Apocolypse is threatning Sunnydale, and the Scoobies, reunited with old friends will try to stop it.  
Spoilers: Through the end of season six.  
Disclaimer: I own nothing!!! Jos owns everything. I'm just borrowing. (although I really wish I could own Spike! (hehe)  
Please Review!!!  
*Writing in these are thoughts*  
  
It had been a long summer. Buffy and Dawn had spent the days helping Willow cope, and the nights slaying. At first Buffy was a little wary about letting Dawn go on patrol with her, but Dawn was turning out to be really good. Almost as good as Spike. *No!* she thought, *don't think about Spike. Spike thoughts are bad!* She hadn't seen him since that night when he-*No! stop thinking about him!* She had quit work at the Double Meat Palace when her father had finally remembered that he had two children, and sent them enough money to live comfortably for the rest of their lives. She would be starting again at UC Sunnydale next week. (Her father had pulled some strings to arrange that) She was now working part time at a bank.   
Dawn would be a freshman at the new Sunnydale High School. The stupid Board of Education hadn't been smart enough to build on a different spot, and this new school was still on the hellmouth. Buffy was apprehensive about sending Dawn to the hellmouth every day, but Dawn pointed out that Buffy had done it for four years and only had it open once.  
Xander and Anya were slowly working out their problems, and had started dating again. Xander had been having good luck ever since he had saved the world. He had been promoted to a contruction supervisor, and got a huge pay raise, and had been able to rent a nice new apartment. He was doing really well, and was spending a lot of time helping Willow cope.  
Willow was doing better, and would be a sophmore at UC Sunnydale. She had spent the first month and a half of the summer in her room, and then one day in the middle of July, Buffy had awoken to the smell of pancakes. Willow had said good morning, and acted just as cheerfully as she was before Tara died. When Buffy had come home from work that evening, dinner was on the table, and the aroma of fresh baked cookies hung in the air. The cookies were Willows favorite way to apologize, and they practically flowed out of the oven for the next month. As Willow felt less and less guilty, the flow of cookies slowly diminshed. She now was almost back to normal. Once in a while she would find something that would remind her a Tara and the tears would start flowing again, but over all, she was much better.  
Giles was still in Sunnydale, he had moved back, and Olivia had joined him. They were engaged, and Olivia was expecting their first child in January. They had gotten his old apartment back, and Buffy and the gang had frequent scooby meetings there.   
Buffy was sitting on her couch contemplating this when the doorbell rang. She got up to get it, but before she could, the door opened and Xander and Anya ran in, breathless. They slammed the door.   
"Vampires!" He gasped out, "10 of them!"   
"Dawnie!! Willow!" Buffy screamed. the two girls came running down, Buffy tossed each person a stake, told Xander and Anya to come out when they got their breath back, then opened the door and launched herself into the fray. After about 10 minutes, the dust cleared, and all that was there was five breathless scoobies.   
"We're getting better and better!" Dawn exclaimed,checking her watch, "That was our best time yet this summer!"   
"Dawnie, It's not about the time it takes, it's about ridding the world of-" Xander stopped, staring into the street. After about a seccond, he closed his mouth, which had dropped to the ground, picked his stake up, and headed towards the figure standing on the sidewalk next to an old beat up Desoto. "Dangerous, evil beasts" he finished, as he started to aim the stake towards Spike's heart.   
"Oh, just do it already, Xander, You've been threatening for years." Spike said in a really exhausted voice.   
"Wait a seccond!" You just called me Xander! You never call me Xander! What happened?" Xander was completely dumbfounded.  
"Spike, you have a soul! Congratulations!" Anya exclaimed.   
"What!" A collective answer came from Buffy, Xander, and Willow, right before all three kind of collapsed to a ground in an faint-like state.   
"I can sense his aura, now that my demon capabilities are back, and Spike definitely has a soul!" Anya explained.  
"Spike! You run off, you don't call or write for three months, you come back with a soul, asking Xander to stake you... Oh god, you haven't turned out like Angel have you?"  
"No Dawnie, he hasn't, but I'm glad to see you like me so much." Angel stepped out of the shandows.  
"Angel!" Buffy gasped, from the ground and fainted.   
"Deadboy! What are you doing here?" Xander slowly stood up.   
"Um guys?" Willow, as usual was the voice of reason,"Why don't we take this inside? The neighbors may decide to call the cops soon." The rest of the group looked around at the nearby houses, many of them with lights turning on and people sitting in the windows.   
Xander picked up Buffy's unconscious body, Dawn helped Willow up from her spot on the ground, and they troop inside to the Summers family living room. Xander put Buffy on the couch, and then went an sat on the loveseat with Anya. Dawn situated herself on the floor in front of the couch, while Angel and Willow grabbed the two armchairs. Spike, being the last one in, shut the front door, and leaned up against the living room doorframe.  
"Where's Glinda?" he asked."Red, did you two have another fight? I thought you had just gotten back together" he added, as she broke into tears. Dawn quietly explained to the newly souled vampire what had happened after he had left. "Oh god" he said, digesting the information. "I'm dreadfully sorry Willow, I had no idea."  
"There you go again deadboy Jr, with the using of the names. What's up?" Xander asked  
"I told you already Xander," Anya answered in the voice of a teacher who has explained a topic way too many times, "Spike has gotten his soul back." She then voiced a question to the vampire in question. "How did you do it Spike? Did some one cast a spell on you, like they did to Angel? and speaking of that, how come you aren't.. well, more broody and Angel-like? Before Spike could answer, Angel interceded.  
"We have been studying this for the past month, and as far as we can tell, when I was given my soul back, I was the full blown, evil, scourge of Europe. When Spike got his soul back, he had already started on the path to good, and so his souled and un-souled personalities are very similar." Right then, Buffy wolk up.   
"That's funny," she said, seeing Willow, "I just had the weirdest dream that Spike had come back with a soul, and brought Angel, too!" she looked around the room, and realized that her so-called dream was a reality. "Oh, god," she moaned, and sank back into the couch."  
"Buffy? Are you okay?" Willow asked,"You didn't faint again, did you?"  
"No," she said, her voice muffled by the couch, "but I wish I had."  
"Hey Buffy, this is like an old boyfriend reunion!" Dawn piped up. "All you need is for Riley to come back, and that mangy asshole Parker!"  
"Dawn!" Buffy repremanded her for swearing. Just then, the doorbell rang. "Oh, god Dawnie, see what you've done!" she moaned, and buried herself under blankets and pillows.  
"I'll get it, Willow said, "To save you any trauma if it is either of them." She got up, and went for the door. As she opened it, she almost fainted.  
"Hi Willow."   
"H-h-hi Oz." she replied.  
  
  
End of part 1 


	2. The Prophecy

Title: Return  
Author: Niki   
Rating: PG13  
Summary: Oz and Spike explain where they have been, a prophecy is found.  
Spoilers: Through the end of season six.  
Disclaimer: I own nothing!!! Jos owns everything. I'm just borrowing. (although I really wish I could own Spike! (hehe)  
Please Review!!!  
*Writing in these are thoughts*  
  
  
Willow got up, and went for the door. As she opened it, she almost fainted.  
"Hi Willow."   
"H-h-hi Oz." she replied.  
  
*********************  
  
"Why don't you come in, Oz?" Oz walked into Buffy's house, and followed Willow into the living room. She guestured the the arm chair she had been sitting in, and then took up a place on the floor next to Dawn. Everyone said hello to Oz, and Buffy sat up, making room for Dawn and Willow, who moved to the couch with her. "Now, why is it suddenly ex-boyfriend land?" she asked, "And where have you all been? Oz, why don't you start?"  
"I've been at a refuge in Africa, a place for werewolves, vampires, and other demons who fight on the side of good can hide out. I was recieving instruction from an old werewolf there on how to suppress my monthly changes into wolfman. A couple weeks ago a vampire came in almost..well, dead, and said that he had been attacked by others of his kind while spying on them. I asked him what he had heard, and he said that something big was going down on the Hellmouth. I thought I should come warn you, and help, if you want me to," he said, looking at Willow. Before she could answer, Angel jumped up excitedly.  
"Cordy had a vision!" he exclaimed,"Of all of the scoobies fighting something, and losing, in Sunnydale, on the night of the full moon! We usually use her visions as warnings, to prevent whatever she sees."  
"Oz, when's the next full moon?" Willow asked.  
"Next Tuesday night. Exactly a week from today." he answered, still looking forlornly at her.  
"Just our luck." Dawn piped up, " School starts for me, Buffy, and Willow next Wednesday."  
"Me too" added Oz. "I reenroled in UC Sunnydale."  
"Not to divert from this wonderful subject, but I gotta ask, Angel, why are you and Spike here, and where have you been."  
"and how did you get your soul back?" added Anya.  
"Yeah, that too"   
"Well, I left Sunnydale after well, you know. I left Clem with my crypt, and went to Africa."  
"Um, sorry to interupt, but what happened?" Oz asked. Dawn explained again what had happpened since Oz had last visited, and as she did willow started to cry again. As she went to run out of the room, Oz quickly got up and wrapped his arms around her. She sobbed into his shoulder while he held her, whispering soft nothings into her ear. Dawn got up, and moved back to the florr so that Oz and Willow could sit on the couch. As Willow continued to sob, Spike continued his story.  
"Now Xander, don't stake me until you hear the whole story." Xander nodded, biting his lip so a snarky remark wouldn't come out. "I went to Africa to this demon I had hear of, who would give you whatever you wanted if you proved to him you were worthy of it. Well, I went there to get the chip out, so I could come back to the Hellmouth and kill the Slayer and all her friends." Xander started to get up, but Anya held him back.   
"Let him finish the story" she said. Xander sat back down, and Spike continued.  
"I went through his trials, fought all sorts of demons, and after about 4 days, he said I was done, and had passed all the test. I was overjoyed, and said these exact words-'Now I can give the slayer exactly what she deserves' and he gave me my soul back."  
"How dare you!" screamed Xander,"How dare you imply that you are what she deserves! What did you think, that you could just come back here all soul-having and she'd just forgive you!"  
"I did for Angel," Buffy whispered.  
"Buff! Do you actually believe the shit he's spouting? He's a soulless, evil.....thing!" Xander exploded at Buffy  
"Not any more" Spike said quietly.  
"Spike, why don't you finish your story?" Willow, who had stopped sobbing, said, trying to restore calmness to the room.  
"Well, I got my soul, and spent about a week sorting out my thoughts, and getting over the guilt. Then I went to the only place I could think of, to the only person who knew what I was going through."  
"Angel" the entire room said simultaneously.  
"Wow you guys are so smart!" Angel answered, as Spike went on.  
"Well, I went to LA, and have been there ever since. The un-life of a souled vampire wasn't much different then how I'd been living before, I didn't have to go from sucking human blood straight to pigs blood in addition to all the icky feelings a soul comes with, like Angel did. I've spent the last few months thinking about what a monster I've been, and regretting what I... almost did to you Buffy, and I've also been helping Angel Investigations out with their cases, and when Cordelia had the vision, I insisted I come back to help."  
"Ok, so let me get this straight: Spike has a soul, and wants to help us out of the goodness of his heart, Cordelia had a vision of us all losing a big fight, Oz heard something big is going down on the Hellmouth, Angel and Spike aren't fighting, and I'm actually considering forgiving Spike." Buffy colapsed into the couch again.  
"Just another tuesday on the Hellmouth!" Dawn said cheerfully.  
  
*****  
  
A few hours later, the whole gang was at Giles' appartment, stuffed into his living room doing research. Oz and Willow were on the floor looking through a book of prophecies pertaining to slayers. Dawn was in the kitchen with Olivia, cooking something. Buffy, Xander and Anya were on the couch, looking at a book of prophecies about the Hellmouth, a watcher's diary, and a book on rituals for the full moon, respectively. Angel was on the phone with Cordelia, trying to get more information about her vision. Spike was talking to Giles, explaining every detail of the fights in Africa.   
"Any luck?" Dawn walked in with a bowl of popcorn, a very pregnant Olivia trailing behind her with drinks.   
"Not yet Dawnie." Xander answered for the group. The Watcher's fiance and the key sat down and started flipping through some books.  
"Hey Buffy," Angel called,"Is it okay if Cordelia comes back to sunnydale? She says she wants to help, and that she feels useless in LA."  
"Yeah, that's fine, I haven't seen her in forever." Angel started muttering back into the phone."  
"We found something!" shouted Willow.   
Oz read the prophecy.   
  
"The slayer of Slayers will be reborn  
A new slayer will be called  
Along with the guardian of the key  
A family they will be  
and a child shall be born  
to the 3rd in the line of Aurelius  
and the twice dead slayer  
The child will unite the demons and the humans"  
  
Everyone was silent for a minute, just taking in the meaning.  
"Umm anyone wanna guess what it means?" asked Dawn.  
"I will, if Xander promisses not to stake me." said Spike.  
"I'm not promissing anything!" answered Xander.  
"Spike, I won't let Xander stake you, just spill!" Buffy interceded.  
"Well I'm the slayer of slayers, the only vampire to kill more than one, and I'm guessing that getting my soul back was me being reborn; A new slayer will be called, which must mean faith is or will be dead. Along with Buffy, the guardian of the key, this new slayer and i will be a family. A child shall be born to the third in the line of Aurelius and the twice dead slayer, that's the part I don't get."  
"Oh God!" Angel interupted, "It can't be!"  
"What!" Yelled everyone in the room.  
"Well, The master was the first in the line of Aurelius, and Darla was seccond, but Buffy and I killed the two of them, making me first in the line, Drusilla seccond, and-"  
"Spike is the third," whispered Dawn.  
"Oh, god" said Spike and Buffy simultaneously.  
Just then the phone rang. Giles answered it  
"Hello?...Oh?...Oh my Lord!.. Yes, yes of course I will be her watcher...Yes, I will tell her..Yes, thank you...Goodbye"  
"Who was that?"  
"The Watcher's Council, Buffy. Faith has died, and a new slayer has been called."   
"And you are going to train her? How could you leave us? You just got back!"  
"Who said I was leaving?"  
"But..But..bu-"  
"The new slayer is in Sunnydale, in fact, she is in this very room."  
"What!" everybody shrieked simultaneously. "Who!"  
"Dawn," Giles said in his watcher voice,"Into each generation a Slayer is born. One girl in all the world, a Chosen One. One born with the strength and skill to fight the vampires, to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their numbers. You are the Slayer" 


End file.
